


Bad Dream

by Pluttskutt



Series: FH Flatmates AU [6]
Category: Dragon Age II
Genre: M/M, idk where all this fluff came from
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-11
Updated: 2017-01-11
Packaged: 2018-09-16 21:17:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,851
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9289955
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pluttskutt/pseuds/Pluttskutt
Summary: Garrett is stupid (Fenris has a nightmare and Garrett comforts him)





	

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so I haven't been sleeping well lately (I don't like going all personal story here but w/e) so the editing isn't the best but I can't wait for a day when I'm not tired because it's not coming obviously so I'm sorry. If there is something weird/difficult to understand comment or send an angry message or ask or something. Enjoy!

The street lights switched on when Garrett walked close. They were automatic. Sometimes they worked, sometimes they didn’t. In the park they were on all night but closer to the apartment buildings they weren’t. Odd, but at least they worked this time.

Garrett fished up his keys from his pocket when he reached his street door. He was careful not to smash the bag he carried into the door. Because he hadn’t been tired after he dropped Bethany of, he parked the car and took a walk. His walk took him to the nearest gas station where he bought chocolate and ice cream as an apology to Fenris.

Quietly he walked up the stairs to the apartment. The clock was around 02:30 and he didn’t want to anger the neighbours. Cooper didn’t greet him when he opened the front door. He closed it and removed his jacket slowly. Didn’t want to make a sound and wake Fenris up in the middle of the night. He put the bag on the floor and stepped out of his shoes. The hallway was lit, and he wondered why. Fenris should be asleep. He tiptoed to the bathroom.

Airports were not fun. Not anywhere. At least Bethany had been happy to see him, as he was to see her. Her months at the University in Orlais were almost up. She planned to move into the house when she came back. Carver wouldn’t like that as he wanted to sell it.

Garrett brushed a hand through his hair. A haircut was in order, as was a trimming of his beard. Bethany pointed that out like the nice younger sister she was. He washed his face with water, brushed his teeth, and unbuttoned his shirt. Tossed it in the laundry basket and walked out. Grabbed the bag. The drapery rattled. He expected to see Cooper (who overcame his fear and walked through whenever he wanted) but saw Fenris.

“Sorry, did I wake you?” Garrett whispered. Fenris raised his head to look at him. His eyes were red. Garrett reached out a hand to offer comfort and ask what was wrong. Fenris flinched.

“Sorry, sorry,” Garrett apologised and withdrew his hand, “are you okay?” he knew Fenris didn’t like to be touched. Like this time, he flinched when Garrett raised an arm when he was too close.

“I had a dream,” Fenris raised his hands and wiped his eyes, “Cooper is in my bed, I assume you want him to be with you,” Garrett frowned. It was obviously a nightmare or he wouldn’t have cried. Cooper could stay with Fenris over the night if he couldn’t go back to sleep.

“He can stay with you, he’s good with bad dreams,” Garrett smiled when Fenris looked at him, “do you want to talk about it?” he gave it a shot. He knew Fenris would say no but he hoped the offer would make Fenris think it was possible. They could talk. He’d been awkward some days after the drunk kiss but they were friends. Things were supposed to happen, and they’d work through them.

“No,” Fenris shook his head, “are you going to bed?” he glanced at the bag on the floor. Garrett shrugged.

“Not tired, think I’ll see an episode before I sleep,” an episode of one of the five shows he followed at the same time. He had to get his act together and see them one by one so one of them didn’t disappear from Netflix while he saw another. Like Grimm.

“Do you want to do that on the big screen?” Fenris asked. Garrett raised his eyebrows. Where did that question come from, he wondered. Had he indicated things again without intending to? He wasn’t the best with body language. He gestured a lot without being aware of it.

“I’ll see it on my screen, don’t worry,” Fenris looked to the side, “unless you… do you want me to stay with you until you fall asleep?” after a bad dream it wasn’t weird Fenris didn’t want to be alone. Bethany and he often comforted each other when they came to Kirkwall. The nightmares were vivid. Carver helped their mother. Cooper stuck to Marian.

“Yes,” came the quiet reply. Garrett couldn’t help but let out a soft chuckle and smiled. If Fenris could sleep with an episode of Brooklyn Nine-Nine on, he wouldn’t object. When he saw that Fenris was asleep he’d move to his own bed.

“I’ll just change into my pyjamas,” he was tired of jeans. He wished he could walk around in joggers all the time. Much more comfortable. Not as stylish. Only a handful of select people could pull joggers of. Garrett was not one of them.

“I will wait,” Fenris said. Garrett walked into his room, the only room with the lights switched off. He hadn’t thought about it before but Fenris could be afraid of the dark. He did have his nightlight on when Garrett stuck his head inside during mornings. If he was, they could leave the lights in the hallway switched on. Garrett could sleep in any conditions, but he woke up easily. Unlike his sister who took a while to sleep but refused to wake up.

He remembered the ice cream in the bag before he entered Fenris’ room. Quickly he unpacked what he bought so it wouldn’t go to waste. He switched the lights off in the kitchen but didn’t touch the switch in the hallway.

“Hey,” he whispered and pushed the drapery aside, “are you still awake?” he had to be sure. Fenris could have fallen asleep while he waited. Which was not the case as Fenris sat in his bed and petted a pleased Cooper.

"Very much so,” he had moved to the side and Garrett had no problem with that. The bed was double sized, bigger than the one he slept it.

“Where did you-” he looked around the room and saw the remote rest at the coffee table. He walked over and grabbed it. The room got a bit smaller when the bed was made. Fenris pushed the table to the other side of the room where the balcony was so it wouldn’t be in the way of walking out and in.

“How is your sister?” Fenris asked when Garrett sat down on the bed. He wanted to ask if Fenris was okay with the ceiling light and his nightlight on but didn’t. It could be a coping mechanism for the bad dream.

“She appreciated that I picked her up, and bought her food,” the house was empty of everything in that department so he had no choice, “she’ll be jetlagged for a couple of days but wants me to come over the day after tomorrow,” she wanted to meet Fenris. He couldn’t wait for that. She also talked about catching up with Isabela. He wanted none of that. Which reminded him that Bethany was not a little girl. Still, Isabela was not a good influence. Sebastian was. Bethany should spend more time with him instead.

“Garrett,” he blinked and looked at Fenris, “thank you for dinner,” Fenris smiled.

“I’m glad you liked it,” Garrett grabbed a sofa pillow from the floor and put into bed for support. He’d stay on the covers, for Fenris. He wouldn’t sleep on the bed so why risk waking him up by pulling the covers from him?

“How long can I stay?” Fenris asked right before Garrett pressed play. He looked at Fenris, who wasn’t looking back but focused on Cooper. The massive hound that better not lay on him again or he’d sleep in the hallway.

“For as long as you need,” it wasn’t like someone would come back to the apartment and kick Fenris out. She said the arrangement was okay, she was the one who asked Garrett if he understood that Fenris could live there for a long time. She wouldn’t kick him out. She’d kick Garrett out.

“I am grateful for all you do for me,” and Garrett was grateful he wasn’t a homicidal maniac, “you will not be upset when I move out?” so that was the issue then. He was afraid of how Garrett would react.

“I’ll help you move, if you want of course you might be sick of my face by then,” Garrett grinned. Fenris laid down under the covers, hands on Cooper’s paws.

“I’m glad we’re friends,” the confession embarrassed Garrett a little. No one said that so sincerely before. Well, Merrill had but she said a lot of things. Her tone hadn’t been all serious when she said it either.

“Me too,” he played the episode. Lowered the volume. Eating breakfast alone at the bakery was all fine and dainty but it was better with Fenris because he enjoyed it more than he did. Fenris always complimented his cooking skills. They took walks together. They carried groceries up the thousand stairs of doom together. Before Fenris, Garrett thought he missed having people over but that wasn’t it. He missed living with others. He missed daily conversations about food. Lazy pyjamas day. It was sad that it’d go away eventually.

 

It was difficult to say exactly when it happened. Garrett got too sucked into his series that he continued to watch, and nodded off. It was at that point he realised he had to make the horrid trip back to his own bed. He turned off the TV and the ceiling light, which made the room dark but Fenris’ nightlight helped him find his way out.

It was another quiet night in the neighbourhood. Like every night there was barely a car that drove past. So when Fenris screamed, Garrett needed no short moment to understand where it came from. He stumbled out of bed, out his room, and tore the drapery aside.

“Fenris,” he called out and switched on the light. Fenris laid in bed, curled up in a fetal position. Cooper sniffed his hair and he curled up further. Garrett hurried over and reached out a hand. His fingers barely brushed Fenris’ arm. Fenris stiffened at the touch. He drew back, unsure how to handle the situation.

“Fenris, are you awake?” he tried talking. Wasn’t sure what to say. He often cradled his siblings when they had nightmares but he couldn’t do that with Fenris. Fenris didn’t like touch. He had to think of a new strategy. The lights were on. Was there anything else he could do? Cooper whined again. Fenris didn’t want either of them to touch him.

“I need to know that you’re okay, I’m not touching you okay? I won’t, but are you okay?” a panic attack from a nightmare was possible but Garrett had no idea how to tackle that. Calm music? Herbal tea? Anything else he didn’t have?

“No,” the honest response made Garrett release a breath he didn’t realise he’d been holding.

“What can I do to help?” he asked. If it was to leave the room he would. His sister would be much better than him at this moment. She knew how to handle things, how to handle people. He wanted whatever guidebook she read.

“I don’t know,” another honest response. Fenris’ voice was muffled because he hid his face with his arms but Garrett heard him.

“Do you want me to leave you alone?” he asked. That wouldn’t hurt his feelings because everyone handled themselves their way. If Fenris had to be alone to calm down that was understandable.

“I don’t know,” Fenris faltered. That time Garrett barely heard him.

“Do you need me to get you anything? Water? Hot milk? A cinnamon bun?” he tried to think of anything that would help which didn’t require a pat on the shoulder and the words ‘there, there’.

“A cinnamon bun?” Fenris questioned.

“My sister would bake whenever she woke up and - it’s not important, do you want a cinnamon bun?” he asked. Fenris didn’t want his family stories, he had to tone down on those.

“No,” okay, “talk,” that was an unusual request. He imagined people were sick of him talking and wanted him to stop. Never before had someone asked him to talk. Well, there were those interrogations but they didn’t count.

"About what?” he wasn’t sure what to talk about now that he was asked to talk.

“What you think is not important,” Fenris whispered. That was… a lot. He’d almost told the baking story. His sister would be fine with that. Sure she would.

“My sister had sleeping problems when she grew up, so when she woke up in the night she baked, and when we woke up we were thrilled because homemade cookies are the best,” he chuckled, “none of us knew, of course, she didn’t bring attention to herself, with everything that happened she was overlooked,” and she slipped. Right through his fingers.

“What happened?” Fenris asked. Garrett looked down on the bed. He crossed his legs and sat down properly.

“Our father died, I was fifteen, and our mother couldn’t handle it, so I took a lot of responsibility and m… my sister was expected to as well, but she couldn’t, and then there was Carver and Bethany who were still children, so it was a lot,” he sighed. That was really summed up. Good going. He even saved himself from saying her name.

“You were a child too,” Fenris whispered. Garrett’s lips formed a thin line, as he thought about that. He had been. So had she. They had all been, but he couldn’t blame his mother. She did her best after their father -her husband- passed away.

“I guess,” there was no blame. It was done. He could think and think about it as much as he wished, but nothing would change. His sister would still be gone.

“Your voice is soothing,” Garrett looked at Fenris. He’d put his arms down, and looked back at him with half-open eyes. He was honest about what he thought, and Garrett smiled. He heard that his voice was soothing before but not by people who weren’t family.

“I’m glad you think so,” did Fenris feel safe because he talked? They hadn’t known each other for long but Fenris felt safe around him. That was a relief.

“Do you think I’m odd?” that was a sudden question, “because of my markings,” he called them markings, not tattoos. That was odd. He was the one who got the tattoos so he shouldn’t care if someone found them odd.

“Plenty of people have tattoos, you shouldn’t think about them so much,” he waved it off. Fenris looked away. Had he said something wrong? Fenris was handsome, the tattoos didn't’ change that.

“I did not get them by choice, they mark me to remind me who my master is,” Fenris’ voice was quiet as he explained, “it hurt to get them and to relive it through a dream is excruciating,” Garrett had no words. His mind went back to the first sentence.

“Master?” he questioned. It could just have been a relationship like that. But why would his partner force him to get tattoos he didn’t want, all over his body? Markings he called them, made against his will.

“Danarius branded me, his reasons were many and I don’t remember them all, he did much I did not want him to,” Garrett didn’t know what to say. Instinctively he reached out a hand to comfort and made that hand brush through his hair instead. He wouldn’t touch.

“You ran from Danarius?” of course he did, “sorry I… that was a stupid question,” Garrett why were you an idiot? He didn’t know. Maybe it was genetic?

“Why do you restrain yourself from touching me?” Fenris pushed himself up to sitting position. Garrett thought he’d been considerate by not touching him.

“I’m not restraining myself, why are you asking that?” Fenris flinched when he raised an arm or came too close. That’s why he told Merrill not to hug him right away, it could make him anxious.

“You hugged your friends when you met them, and you… touch each other casually,” Fenris' furrowed his brow and looked down. He didn’t seem happy with his own explanation.

“You flinch,” Garrett said, “when I touch you or come too near, you flinch, so I try not to,” Fenris picked at the cover. Didn’t look up. Didn’t he know that he didn’t like physical contact? He reacted instinctively like Garrett did when he wanted to give comfort.

“Can we be good friends still?” Fenris asked. Garrett chuckled. He hadn’t meant to, but it was a little cute. Just a tiny bit. Mostly sad.

“I don’t have to touch you to see you as a friend, and if someone does something you don’t like you have to tell them, and that includes me, I know I can be a bit… energetic,” he wasn’t sure what other words fit. Too talkative, that would be it too. Pushy perhaps.

“I like you the way you are,” Fenris said. Garrett’s eyebrows shot up. It was honest. So kind. He’d never been told that before.

**Author's Note:**

> So cute. Such good friends. Great pals. I'm writing next part now but it's gonna take a while because tired. Thank you for commenting and kudos because it helps me a lot! Don't forget to do so this time. Thanks for reading!


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